It's Always Belonged To You
by Captain Lila Turner
Summary: What if he had promised his heart to someone before Elizabeth? Captain William Turner is now faced with the awful truth that he promised his heart to Liz, but his heart always lied with Neptune's daughter. And now, Lila and Will's love is tested. Will/OC
1. Foreshadowing Pasts

**Chapter One  
Forshadowing Pasts**

_"Are you waiting, love ,for me?  
On this shore, I've only dreamed.  
Decades passed since I have last seen,  
your face that still haunts me." _

**- The Sorceress and Rogue Tavern -  
- 1712- **

"King Neptune."

He lowered the hood of his purple cloak and entered the cavern that rested in the heart of Tortuga. He looked at the young man who had ushered him in a nodded as the man bowed. He took his sea blue eyes and looked around the seemingly empty tavern. As he entered, the only sound that could be heard was the rain falling outside, on to the empty streets of Tortuga. Upon walking farther inside, he saw the the tavern was not empty. The members of the Brethren Court were now visible in the light that radiated from the candles that lined the rooms. He saw his wife, playing with the small amethyst that hung loosely from her neck. She raised her piercing emerald eyes up at him when she saw him walk in.

Neptune lowered his own eyes, that mirrored the seas themselves, and walked over to sit beside his wife. Amphitrite, or sometimes known as Anne, was twirling the jewel around her finger. The golden chain that it was hanging from was wrapped around her finger mutlple times as she stared off at the candle that sat on the table in front of her, watching the flames dance. Neptune closed his eyes, and said quietly, "Bind her?"

Amphitrite made almost a sob sound when Neptune said that. He glanced down at her to see that she had dropped the necklace and put her hands  
to her face. He sighed, closing his blue eyes momentarily, as he looked up at the man who was sitting in the corner. His hat was slightly tilted on his head as he leaned back on the back two legs of his chair. His boots were crossed on the table in front of him, as he leaned the chair back and forth, examining the many rings that were on his fingers. He clicked his tongue rather obnoxiously, causing the dark haired man to his right wince, as he raised his kohl-lined, chocolate eyes up to meet that of Neptune's as he said, "The Brethren 'as spoken, mate. We can't do a thing."

"Grant, of course we can." Amphitrite said to her brother, raising her emeralds to meet his two chocolate pools. Captain Teague stared over at his sister for a long moment, before walking past the man that was sitting on his right, who in truth, was actually John Triton. His wife Athena, who had since put her head in her hands, was honestly hoping that Amphitrite and Grant weren't going to get into one of their heated arguements as they tended to do. "Grant, that's like you saying you would bind me-"

"Darlin', I would never suggest such a thing." Grant said this as he pulled the chair from where it had been under the table, twirled it around so that it was backwards, and straddled it, resting his arms on the back of the chair, staring his sister in the eyes. Amphitrite allowed more tears to roll down her cheeks as Grant uncrossed his arms and stared at her for a minute. He took one of hers and said, "Darlin', why would you think that I'd-"

"-because you're doing it to her." She said to him, harshly, making Grant drop his own hands from hers. Amphitrite looked him in the eyes as she spat, "I was given my powers by the Goddess Calypso, why are you not binding me-"

"Anne, you're not suggesting that we bind you as well, are you?" Neptune glanced down at his wife. Amphitrite didn't meet his gaze, only glanced over at Bill Turner who was sitting over in the corner with his wife Alena. Alena closed her hazel eyes and took Bill's hand as he stared into the flames. Amphitrite shook her head and said, "To make the seas safer-"

"-Anne, she's a godddess-"

"-Well, what the bloody hell am I, Neptune?" She asked him harshly, causing Grant to look up at his brother-in-law. Neptune locked gazes with Grant for a moment. He turned to her, and was about to say something, when the sounds of boots coming down the stairs broke their silence. They all turned to see Davy Jones descending from the staircase, his curse slowly starting to set it. He looked at his sister-in-law for a moment, before placing his hand on the staircase and saying to her, "Calypso cannot be trusted." She lowered her gaze from Davy as Neptune put a hand on her shoulder, and looked up at his  
brother. With a slight nod to Neptune, Davy took his piece of eight and tossed it into the pot. Grant unhook the coin that was hanging from his bandana and did the same, followed by Barbossa, and soon Bill, who  
locked gazes with Amphitrite before he tossed his in as well, as if to say a silent apology.

"Darling." Amphitrite started crying as she unhooked the Jewel and threw it into the pot as well. She turned her face away when the doors to the tavern opened and two men walked in. Her breathtaking, goddess beauty was unmistakable when she walked into the room. Her white gown gently swepty the floor as she looked over in Amphitrite's direction. Amphitrite started crying harder and looked down. Calypso looked down at the pot, before saying in a commanding voice, "You will pay for this. All of you!" She locked gazes with Davy for a moment, and was about to say something, before Davy managed to say in a surprisingly loving voice, "Calypso! I bind you in your human bonds."

Amphitrite screamed as the light emitted into the room. She broke out of Neptune's grasp and ran out of the tavern, into the storm. As she did that, she didn't know what she had ran past the five year old princess who was sitting on the stairs. She was about to go follow her mother out, but someone's footsteps from behind her stopped her.

"Now, now, now, Lala. Where do you think you're going?" Lila froze in her tracks, holding her stuffed bear close to her. A chuckle came from behind her, as he stepped off of the bottom stair, and lifted her up on his hip. She smiled when she saw him. The teenager was tall and muscular and dressed head to toe in a uniform that of King Neptune's Navy. His curly black hair was pulled back, and his chocolate eyes were sparkling with amusement as he looked down at the young princess.

Jack Sparrow smiled at his cousin, pushing back her light curls, and kissing her forhead. The sixteen year old naval officer put his hand back on the rail, and walked up the tavern's creaking stairs. The latern that hung beside the window swun gently when the window was blown open, due to the storm. Jack took his free hand, and closed the window, before walking into Lila's room. He laid her down on the bed, and pulled the covers up. Just as he walked over to blow the candle out, Lila stopped him and said, "What happened?"

"What, love?" Jack said, blowing that candle out, but taking hold of the one that was still lit so he could find his way over to her bed. Sititng on the edge beside her, he said, "What?"

"Calypso. What happened?" She turned her green eyes up at him. He sighed, not really wanting to go into the whole goddess conspiracies that can arise in the Court. He smiled down at her and said, "Nothing you need to ever worry about, darling." She nodded as he picked up her bear and placed it beside her, "Now, get some sleep. I'll take you on the ship in the morning, alright?" She smiled up at Jack as he leaned down and kissed her forhead.

"Night, Jackie." She whispered, before yawning and rolling over. He got up from the bed, and picked up the candle that he had laid on the night stand. When he made it to the door, he placed a hand on the doorway and turned back as he said, "Night, Lila." He winked at her, before pulling the door behind him. He could still hear the Court talking behind him when he made it to the tavern's final steps. Not wanting to go in there again, he took his cloak and put it around him, before opening the door and walking out into the storm.

Jack walked down the stormy shores of Tortuga, wondering where his aunt  
had ran off to. He closed his eyes momentarily, before a voice came  
from behind him, "Jack Sparrow."

He whirled around to look back as he saw a young woman, just a few years older than him, walk towards him. She resembled Calypso, but her face was now marked and human. It didn't look like the same breathtaking goddess that she had been moments ago. Jack looked down, feeling a sort of dread wash over him as she said, "What be da ding you desire most?" Her voice was now heavily accented, as it hadn't been only minutes prior.

"Calypso, I don't-"

"Answer."

Jack turned to look out at the ocean, as the storms, no doubt a mixture of both his aunt and Calypso's anger, raged on. He smiled to himself, imagining that he was sailing. Sailing freely, not under his uncle's nor anyone elses commands. His commands. Him being captain of his own ship, possibly own fleet. Freedom. That's what Jack Sparrow desired most in this world.

Calypso snapped a compass, that had been hanging at her waist, off of her own cloak and said, "Jack Sparrow, dis be da key to your freedom. To wha' you want most in dis world." She handed him the compass, and he stared down at it for a moment, before looking at her. She smiled to him as he opened it, watching it spin around, before it landed on the seas. He turned to look at her as a smile spread across her face, "Let us made a deal, Jack Sparrow."

Lila, who had gotten out of bed the minute Jack left her room, was watching through the frosted window. She couldn't see exactly what was going on, but she could tell by the look on Jack's face that he wasn't exactly thrilled with what he was hearing. "Lila?" She hopped off of the window, hoping that it wasn't her father or anyone else behind her.

The young boy rubbed his eyes in a tired way, as his messy brown curls were tangled, letting her know that he had just been asleep. "Li Li, what are you doing?" William asked her as she hoped off of the window seat and walked back over to the door. She shook her head and said, "I couldn't sleep."

"That's not the point!" Came a loud booming voice from downstairs. Lila looked over at Will who looked wide awake now. Before the nine year old could stop her, she walked past him and down to the stairwell. As they walked, the only sound that could be heard was the gentle creaking of the stairs and the sound of the lantern blowing in the breeze since the window had blown open again. The two children stopped at the door, ;eading to the meeting room.

"Davy, she loved you."

"She said she'd come back. When she left, she said it was for my own good. She said that she would come back for me. That she'd wait for me. She never came back. I waited." Her uncle fell silent. Lila pressed herself against the door, ignoring Will who was behind her giving her a list of reason on why they shouldn't be down there. She walked across the hallway, and leaned against the door. After he looked around to make sure no one was coming, Will sprinted across the hallway, and stood behind Lila. "Li, I really don't think-"

"-Shh." She warned him, before pressing her ear back to the door. Inside the room, Neptune walked over to stand behind his brother. He closed his eyes as Davy said, "She's a liar."

"Davy, she's a goddess. You can't expect them to stay in one place for long." Neptune countered, knowing how his own wife was. Davy looked up into his brother's eyes momentarily, before saying, "I promised my heart to her."

He got up, and walked over to where his beating heart laid on the table. His one day would be over soon, and tomorrow morning, he'd be back on the Dutchman for his decade at sea. Placing a hand over the top of the chest, Davy whispered to Neptune, "Isn't that how Calypso's Curse goes?" Neptune stared at his brother for a moment, watching him as he stared down at the chest.

"I don't understand."

"You promise your heart to someone, to whom it really doesn't belong." Davy's eyes glazed over. He closed them as he said in a different tone, "I promised my heart to one, while in all truth, I could have given it to someone else. And for that purpose alone-" Davy turned to look at his brother, "-I can never give my heart away to another. I'll forever be cursed." Neptune fell silent. He didn't know what else to say to that. Lila, who was still pressed against the door, backed away slightly, looking up at Will.

Of course being only five years old, Lila couldn't imagine as she followed her best friend up the stairs that her uncles previous statement would forshadow what would happen to her later in life. She had no way of knowing that the boy she was following up the stairs, would one day fall into the same trap as Davy Jones himself had fallen into.

_"As I sail away from you,  
Pain sets in, and sees me through.  
Lies, and death will come soon for me.  
But I shall never die."_

_"Beating heart locked inside the chest.  
Haunted pasts, and no love to last.  
You are gone, but still with me.  
And love shall never die." _


	2. Candy Canes and Secrets

A/N: Thanks for the reviews so far, guys! Since everyone is pretty much new readers, if anyone wants me to PM them a backstory so you won't get confused, I can! Enjoy!

**Chapter Two  
_Candy Canes and Secrets_**

**The Queen's Palace  
December 22, 1740**

"You'll never get away with it, Captain Turner!" She turned the sharp corner and held the necklace close to her chest as she picked up the pace. She could hear his footsteps getting closer and closer. She screamed when he nearly grabbed her, and took off running down a deserted corridor. If she could only make it to the Grand Staircase. "Come back here!"

"No!" She yelled, as her curls bounced behind her. She kept running, feeling her heart pound against her chest as she did so. She only had to make it to Grand Staircase. If she could make it there, then everything would be alright. She'd be away from him, and she could be safe from his grasp. She turned her emerald green eyes to see the golden railing of the Staircase becoming visible. After a few more seconds, she could she the enormous crystal chandelier that hung in the middle of the main room.

She began running faster, and finally made it to the stairs. "Captain Turner!" She heard him yell. She screamed again, and began running as fast as she possibly could down to the Study. Clutching the necklace at her chest, she ran into the Study, shutting the door, and leaving his laughs and cries of, "Open the door!" behind.

"Darling, what on earth are you doing?" Came a voice from behind her.

"Barbossa's after me." Was Annie's reply as she walked across the room. She really had never been in the room before, since her mother didn't allow many inside it. It was practically completely gold in color, with the kingdom's flag hanging proudly on the wall. Since it was nearing Christmas in the Caribbeans, and being that she was, Annie's mother had made it snow on the island of _Neptuño_, causing the fireplace in the middle of the wall to be lit. The young princess bounced over to her mother's desk.

"Barbossa, huh?" Lila asked with a smirk, not taking her eyes off of the maps that were spread out on the desk in front of her. When Annie was standing in front of her mother's desk, Lila smiled down at her, and walked around the desk so that she could pick Annie up and sit her on it. Sitting Indian style on the desk, Annie looked down at the maps and asked Lila, "What are you doing?"

Lila sighed, sinking back into the chair, and staring down at them. Her own emerald eyes were focused, and a look of determination was spread across her beautiful, ageless face. She closed them momentarily, resting her hands on her forehead, leaning into them, before smiling and looking back up at her three year old daughter. "Nothing, love." Annie, who had somewhere found a candycane, was licking it. She stared down at the maps, that had empty spots on it. Sticking the entire candycane in her mouth, she asked, "What's that?" But since the candycane was in her mouth, her speech wasn't audible.

"Annie, don't put the whole thing in your mouth, love." Annie smiled up at her mother as she crossed the Study and walked over to the large doors with the sparrow engraving on them. Lila turned around to face a smiling Annie as she said, "You think we should let Barbossa in?" Annie giggled as she nodded, pulling the candycane out of her mouth like Lila had told her. Lila smiled at her, before turning back to the the doors and opening them.

"Goodness. She shut the door on my bloody head." He groaned as he walked in, rubbing the rather large red spot on his head that was no doubt the result of Annie slamming the door on him moments ago. Lila smiled over at Annie who had now burst into a fit of giggles.

"Aw, why the long face, _querido_?" Lila asked him with a smirk, as she leaned against the wall. Captain William Turner darted his hazel eyes over at his smirking wife. He narrowed them, and said, "Because your daughter just slammed the door on my head." Lila looked over at Annie, trying her best not to laugh as she said, "Is this true, love?"

"He said he was going to steal my treasure!" Annie said, matter-of-factly, pulling out the candycane again since Lila had given her a look at seeing that the whole thing was in her mouth once again. The Queen smiled as she walked back over to her desk and said, "Well, Captain Turner-" She said that, directed down at Annie not Will. Annie smiled at Lila as she she stood on her desk and raised her hand to her head in a salute.

"-Captain Turner, I think a thanks is in order." Lila said, using her Queen voice as she came to stand in front of where Annie stood on the desk. "You just helped in the capture of a dangerous fugitive." Annie smiled at Lila as she said, "Your reward?"

"Please." Annie giggled, smiling down at her mother. Will smiled as he came to stand beside the desk. Lila leaned up and whispered something in her ear. Annie squealed, before going over to Will and motioning for him to help her down. He put his hands on her waist and lifted her in the air. After he kissed her cheek, he set her down and watched her as she ran off into the corridors. Lila laughed and walked back over behind the desk, looking back down at the maps, and feeling Will's gaze on her the whole time.

He walked behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder, looking down at the maps. "Do I even want to know what you told her?" Lila smiled, shrugging Will off, and whirling around to look at him. He smiled down at her as he rested his forehead against hers, pushing some of her curls back. "Darling, you have been way too stressed..." Will's voice trailed off as he looked down at the maps that were spread out in front of them. Keeping an arm around Lila's waist, Will leaned down and picked up one of the maps, "Route to the Pantano River...." He moved the map over and said, "Isla..."

"_Isla Esquelética_." Lila said for him, sitting on the edge of the desk. Had her mother been in here, Lila knew she would have made her get off. Will put the maps down, and looked at his wife in the eyes as he said, "Anything you'd like to let me in on?"

"Not really." She smiled up at him, pushing his curls out of his face, and planting a kiss on his cheek. Will smiled down at her as she rested her head against his chest. Will squinted his eyes as he wrapped his arms around Lila, and stared down at the parchment.

"Darling?"

"Hmm?"

"Who's Stone-Eyed Sam?" Lila pulled her head off of Will's chest and followed his gaze to the parchment that Will was looking at. She picked it up, and smiled at Will as she said, "No one." She turned on her heels and walked into the other room. William was about to follow her, but someone ran up to him and threw their arms around his legs. Will chuckled as he bent down and picked his daughter up, "Feeling better, Daddy?"

"Much better, darling, thank you." Will beamed down at Annie as he kissed her forehead and glanced into the room that Lila had just walked into. He sighed. She had been acting a little off lately. I mean, he knew that she had her moments, but something was bothering her. He glanced back down at the map that read City of the Dead on it. He pushed the parchment aside to see that the other one had the name Stone-Eyed Sam written on it, and under it a little ways, and circled, was something about the Sword of _Cortés_.

"Why do I get the feeling that your mother isn't telling me something?" He asked that question more so to himself that Annie, who of course didn't know anything. Annie just continued to lick her candycane and looked up at Will with her big, bright green eyes. It was starting to amaze William at how much Annie really looked like Lila. He remembered when Lila was her age, and looking at Annie was almost like looking at Lila.

Annie smiled up at him, causing him to kiss her forehead and asked, "You want to come on the Dutchman with me later?" She nodded, with a huge smile on her face. He beamed down at her and said, "Well, do Daddy a favor, alright?"

Annie nodded and Will said, "Go on upstairs and take your nap. Then when you wake up, Daddy'll take you out on the Dutchman, alright, princess?" She nodded as he leaned down and kissed her cheek. He set her back on the floor, and watched her cram the entire candycane back into her mouth, before running up the Grand Staircase. He was frozen for a minute, as if he couldn't believe that she had actually done that, before turning back to the maps and papers that were spread out on Lila's desk.

William walked over to the desk. Just as he did that, the doors opened. Thinking that it was going be Lila, he jumped about a mile. The young woman smiled at seeing Will and said to him in a quiet, but polite voice, "Oh, I'm sorry, Your Highness. I thought the Queen was in here." Sara glanced around the room, just to make sure that Lila wasn't in there. Like it had been one of those times where Will and Lila were having one of their 'moments' and someone walked in on them, Lila would almost always be hiding on the other side of the room.

Will smiled at her, setting the papers down on the desk again, and ignoring the fact that he could hear his heart pounding from over in the corner. She smiled at him, and bowed slightly, before going to the golden-lined doors and opened them, preparing to walk out. Will glanced back down at the papers, and then said, "Sara?"

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"It's Will, remember?" He said with a smile, walking over to the door to stand in front of her. Sara smiled up at him, blushing slightly. He smiled back down at her, remembering that Lila usually was always with him when there was a maid in the room. She'd walked in on too many conversations about William and how handsome he was. Will leaned against the door and asked, "Sara, I promise not to say anything, alright, if you answer this."

Sara nodded with a confused look on her face. He smiled and asked, "Have you heard Lila say anything about-" He glanced down at the parchment he was holding. "-Sword of _Cortés_?" Sara thought for a moment, but said, "No, Your-" She smiled, "-I mean, Will. But I did hear her say something about a sword when Mr. Sparrow was here."

"Jack? Jack Sparrow?" Will looked down into the young girl's face. She nodded, and Will glanced back down at the parchment. "She failed to mention he ever came." The room went silent for a moment, before Will said, "Well, thank you, Sara." She smiled, and was about to bow, but Will stopped her. He exited the study, and entered the main room. He was just about to head up the Staircase to find Lila, but he was stopped by Rupert, who had just came back from Atlantis the day before.

"Will? This came for Lila." He walked over to where Will was standing on the stairs and handed it to him. Will smiled at him and said, "Thanks. Hey, Rupert?" Rupert, who had been walking back into the corridor, stopped and turned to look at Will. He looked down the hall to make sure that Lila was around and said, quieter, "Did Lila say anything about Jack being here? Sara told me that he was." Will glanced down at the enevlope that he was holding in his hands to see that the address was written in Atlantean. Rupert sighed, and walked back over to Will, "No. Lila's really not...taking alot. The Court isn't very happy at the moment, but...I think that letter is from him."

When Rupert's gaze met Will's, Rupert smiled and said, "I'm just saying." Will smiled at Rupert as he walked down the corridors. "Oh, Lila!" He heard Rupert say loudly, a little too loudly. Will took the letter and walked into the other room, locking the door behind him. He carefully pulled the Atlantis seal off the back of it, and unfolded it so he could read:

_To Her Royal Highness Lila Turner, Queen of the Seas and Neptuno  
The Queen's Palace, Neptuno_

_Lila,  
Don't you worry about a thing, love. We've got it all worked out, and we should be arriving at the palace in a few days. So, don't do anything stupid, alright? Stay put with the eunuch until we get there and don't tell anyone of our plans, alright? We'll come out with it in time. And as for that bloody idiot Sam? Don't go after him. Last I heard of him, he was ruling over the City of the Dead. And if it takes meeting him and going there, then that's what it takes, but I want to be with you when it happens._

_And that bloody witch Calypso came looking for Will last week, I don't know what she wanted, but I'm scared of her so I didn't ask. But you may want to go find her, if you care about the eunuch of course. I'll see you in a few days, love._

_Captain Jack Sparrow, Prince of the Seas  
Triton's Palace, Atlantis_

Will sighed and stared at the letter for a moment. What on earth were Jack and Lila planning? And why did Calypso need to talk to him? He hadn't been slacking off on his duties, has he?

_"You promise your heart to someone, to whom it really doesn't belong." _ For some reason, Will could hear Davy's voice saying that all those years ago. Pushing that out of his mind, Will slipped the letter back into the envelope and opened the door to see Annie smiling up at him, apparently awake from her short lived nap.


	3. Wrongful Promises

(Ignore the dates in the previous chapter, right now it's about 1726. If you've been following these stories you know that Lila and Will hadn't seen each other for 100 years after At World's End, due to the fact I was getting closer and closer into modern ages, and after I grew into writing more and developed a better skill I guess LOL, I've decided that I'm going to change these:

-Will was never cursed because he promised his heart to Lila when he was younger, she remained faithful to him

- Lila had Annie when she was 17, 2 years after At World's End as opposed to the 100 years before LOL

- We're still in the early 1700's as oppposed to being in the 1800's

Sorry for the confusion guys, I've just so totally grown now that these stories are getting more detailed, PM me if you have any questions!)

**Chapter Three****  
**_**Wrongful Promises**_

**-**** Triton's Palace, Atlantis ****-  
- **_**December 22 **_**- **

The glass-like streets were buzzing as Christmas neared. Being so close to the kingdom of Neptuño, Atlantis was getting some of the after affects of the snow storm that the sea goddess had placed on the kingdom. He mumbled something to himself, more so curses aimed at the goddess that placed this on them, and angrily brushed some snow out of his long, black, dread-locked hair. Just before he walked to the staircase, he saw an envelope trimmed in gold face down on the table by the door. He walked over to it and picked it up, seeing that it was sealed with golden seal with a sparrow in flight over the sunset. He smiled to himself, before carefully ripping it open. Well, he was  
Captain Jack Sparrow, so it really wasn't all that carefully. But that was the thing about being a goddess, you could pretty much do anything you wanted. Which also meant, sending people contacting people at anywhere at anytime.

**_To Prince Captain Jack Sparrow  
Triton's Palace, Atlantis_**

_Jack,  
Darling, I honestly don't know how long I can keep this up. Will's been acting weird, and don't you dare make a remark, Sparrow. I'm warning you_.

He smiled. He could practically hear his cousin saying all of this. He sat down in one of the large chairs over by the window, overlooking the snow covered city of Atlantis. He didn't know that his wife was talking to one of the servants outside. She smiled at him after saying goodbye, and walked into the room to see her husband sitting in the chair, looking rather interested in the letter that he was holding in his hands. She smiled, and carefully and quietly tiptoed over to the infamous Pirate King.

_I did manage to get some information about the Sword of Cortez. It was used by him against the Aztecs. With its power, its rendered unstoppable in battle. You said you didn't know how he died, well, I found that out too. Apparently the Aztecs believed Cortez to be the sun god Quetzalcoatl which of course wasn't true. But the sword was Cortez's downfall since he lost the scabbard on the sword. And if you lose the scabbard according to the old legend, "it will cause kingdoms to scab over" If you really did find the scabbard, Jack, then you've got to find the sword. Don't let it fall into the wrong hands, Jacob, I mean it._

_  
I looked him up, and I think that Stone-Eyed Sam lives still in the Isla Esqueletica. He has the Sword. I'm not sure how, but it's there. And with the Sword, he's turned the whole island into a City of the Dead. It's a lost kingdom, Jack. And if you really want to find it, I'll help you. But for the time being, keep it quiet. Saphie can't keep a secret from Rupert just like I can't from you. And if that loud mouth finds out and John finds out, I'll have my father and William on me, so please don't._

"Who was that from, Jackie?" Jack nearly jumped a mile, since he had been so involved with the letter that was still in his hands. Sending his wife one of his trademark smiles, Jack quickly put the letter back in the envelope, but not before reading the very last paragraph.

_So, I'll see you when you get here, lovie. And if Calypso comes back, just tell her I'll talk to he on Christmas. No telling what Will's done now, right? I'll see you later, love._

_Te amo, amor._

_**Her Royal Highness, Lila Turner Queen of the Seas  
The Queen's Palace, Neptuno**_

Jack got up from the chair and said, walking over to her, "No one, darlin'."

"Hmm." Saphira said, as Jack wrapped his arms around her, and rested his head on her shoulder. She narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better look at the envelope. She sighed at seeing the golden sparrow seal. Only one person used that seal. "Lila."

"Wha'?"

"Lila, the letter's from Lila." Saphie said, whirling around and taking the letter from his hands. Jack groaned, if Saphie read the letter, she would end up telling Rupert, and if Rupert found out, he'd either tell Triton or Will. And if Will found out, well, things wouldn't end very well with him and a very angry Queen. He stared down at his wife and tried to smile, but she only looked up at him with one of those 'don't test me' kind of looks. Jack sighed and said, "Saphie, it's nothin'."

"Well, darling. How am I suppossed to know if you won't show me?" Saphira asked him, pouting as he snatched the letter out of his hands. He whirled around and started walking towards the door as he shot back to her, "Well, you don't show me the letters she writes you."

"Ah, yes. But I wasn't engaged to her, now was I?" Saphira shot at him, smirking as she placed her hands on her hips. Jack smiled at her, turning around to face her as he said, "Oh, tha's wha' this is 'bout, is it?" Saphie smiled as he walked over to her, and caught her lips in a kiss. She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and brought him closer. All was fine, until the doors opened.

"Saphie, love? Lila sent me word tha-" Triton broke off and stared at his daughter and son-in-law with his jaw dropped to the floor. Saphie pulled away from Jack as if an lightning bolt shot through her. Triton winced slightly, and said, "-sending the ships later." And closed the doors behind him. Saphira turned back to see Jack had a similar look that Triton had on his face. Saphie started laughing and said, "Darling, lighten up."

"The man already hates me."

"Kind of like your father and Will?" Saphira smirked at him as she tried to snatch the letter out of his hands again. He smirked, pulling the envelope higher and said, "Nope." He leaned down and kissed her, before walking out of the room, leaving a very ticked off Mrs. Sparrow behind. Jack was humming that bloody pirate song to himself as he made his way down the stairs. He unfolded the letter again, and a map fell out.

He turned the map over in his hands and stared down at it. "Pantano River..." He looked over to the right of the map and saw that the Isla Esquelética was circled with a route already mapped out. Being the infamous Captain that he was, Jack sat there and tried to figure out how on earth she made that route. It was seemingly flawless. He shook his head and folded the map back up, "Brilliant." He heard Saphie shut the door and begin walking down the stairs. At thinking about it more, Jack mumbled, "But completely insane."

**- The Queen's Palace, Neptuño -  
- December 22 - **

"So?"

"So, she's up to something." Will said, leaning against the doorway, looking at Rupert in the eyes. Rupert was smirking at Will, holding his glass as he said, "What did the note say?" Will sighed, and pulled it out for him. Rupert looked at it, as if should Lila find out, she'd order his head chopped off (which catch her on a bad day, and she might) before taking it from Will and scanning over it. Rupert wrinkled his nose, and said, "Sounds like typical Jack."

Will took the letter back from Rupert, and looked at it as the Admiral, soon-to-be ruler of Atlantis drank from his glass and said, "Mate, don't worry too much about it." It was hard to not worry too much about it. There were times that Will felt as if he was married to what Jack would be like if he was a girl. Will rolled his eyes, and sighed, before taking his rum glass and saying, "It just sounds too complicated. Even for Jack and Lila." At that moment, Annie walked into the room, rubbing her eyes.

"Hi, Uncle Ruppie." Rupert smiled down at her, and put his rum glass down so that he could reach down and pick her up. He ruffled her curls and asked, "How are you, darling?" She smiled and said, "I'm good." She apparently had found another candycane stash, since there was a red sticky substance framing her lips and on her cheeks. He smiled at her and kissed her cheek as she put her head on his shoulder and yawned. Rupert smiled down at her and said, "I think someone's tired." He handed Annie to Will.

Will took her from Rupert and said, "Yes. Because someone only took a short nap today." Annie giggled when Will tickled her sides. He smiled and said, "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yep, and remember, Will." Will, who had made it to the door, turned around to see Rupert smirking as he picked up his wine glass and said, "Your favorite person is coming tomorrow."

Will rolled his eyes and walked out, leaving a smirking Rupert behind. By the time Will had reached Annie's room, she was almost completely asleep. He smiled as he walked over to her bed, and laid her down, pulling the covers up. He leaned down and kissed her forhead, before taking the candle and walking out of the room. Shutting the door behind him, he stared off towards his and Lila's bedroom, but stopped when he saw a light on in the study. He stopped in the hallway, and leaned against the door. He could hear someone walking around in there, so he knocked and asked, "Lila?"

There wasn't an answer. "Li?" He opened the door to see that the window was open. There were a few papers flying around in the air. Will groaned as he shivered when he walked into the freezing room. Snow was blowing in by the time that he closed the window. He sighed, and picked up the candle once more to see that the chest was still in the corner of the room.

He sighed, as he walked over to it, and picked it up. Then, he made his way out of the room, but not before looking around. Something didn't feel right. Something wasn't right, but right then, Will had no way of knowing that. He just kept his arm around the chest, and walked up the stairs to their bedroom.

Once he got inside, he saw that Lila was still asleep. He smiled as he rested the candle on the nightstand and walked over to the side she was on. He placed the chest beside her on the table, and sat beside her on the bed. Pushing her curls back, Will kissed her cheek and whispered, "It's always belonged to you, Li. Always will." He added when he saw the key hanging from her neck where the Jewel should be also.

He sighed. The Brethren Court was in the process, along with Calypso's help, of creating a new Jewel to store a portion of Lila's powers. Without it, well, it could be bad. Will got up from where he was sitting, and walked over to lay down beside her. He pulled his shirt off, and laid down, pulling the covers up on him.

Will wrapped an arm around Lila, and picked up the key that was hanging on her neck. He could hear his heart pounding in the corner of the room as he did that. Which made Will almost in a way, feel guilty.

How could he have promised his heart to Elizabeth, when his heart always laid with Lila?

_"Beating heart locked inside the chest.  
Haunted pasts, and no love to last.  
You are gone, but still with me.  
And love shall never die." _


	4. Broken Promises

**Chapter Four  
_Broken Promises_**

- The Queen's Palace, Neptuño -  
- December 24, 1826 -  


The palace was buzzing that morning with servants running back and forth up and down the stairs with food and decorations, preparing for the next night's ball. She sighed, tossing the ball plans, that were written on a piece of parchment, on to the ground, and sank down into her large golden throne that sat on the rested on the platform between the two staircases that made of the Grand Staircase in the ballroom. As tinsel and stars flew past her with a blur, she closed her emerald eyes and momentarily had a moment of peace. Momentarily, of course. But being Queen of the Seas, Lila Turner hardly ever had any peace.

She popped open her emerald eyes, and pushed herself off of the throne, and walked past the servants, down the corridors to her study that was at the end. She had noticed her husband's absence that morning. When she woke up, he wasn't beside her like he usually was since he tended to sleep in as late as he possibly could. Not that William needed sleep, being Dutchman Captain. It had just remained as a habit for him. She had thought that maybe he had gone downstairs early, but when he wasn't down there either, she just assumed that he was out on the seas faring souls. But still, he would have told her if it was his time to go out.

Sometimes she thought herself to be selfish. Elizabeth did have to wait for William for ten years before he could come on land again, while Calypso compromised and let Will go out for only weeks at a time, sometimes merely days at a time, or whenever he was needed. Thought Lila really wasn't complaining. After all the two of them had been through, leading up to them finally being together, it was safe to say that neither of them ever wanted to go though half of the things they had gone through in years before.

Lila sighed quietly to herself as she unlocked the large, golden-lined door with the sparrow emblem proudly on the front. She walked inside, closing the door behind her. As she walked past the fire that was still burning in the fireplace from the previous night, she bent down and picked up the piece of parchment that appeared to have been blown around. She glanced over at the window, to see that there were little wet spots on the sill, letting her know that the window had apparently blown open. She sat down in the throne styled chair that was behind her desk, and pushed that parchment aside, looking down at the one that was in front of her.

If Jack had really found the scabbard from the Sword of Cortés, Jack could truly be rendered unbeatable if he got his hands on the actual Sword. Somehow, that slightly unnerved Lila. Jack was already Pirate King, and she feared if he had too much power, well, things would have a greater possibility of going completely insane, rather than just a little insane. Because if there's one thing Lila knew, it was never to mess with Captain Jack Sparrow's ego.

She sighed, and glanced down at the letter that was in her hands. Her and Jack had uncovered it the previous summer in Spain, but she had never read it. She put down the parchment she had picked up from the floor, and began to read the water-stained letter.

_December 20, 1712  
Cortez,_

_I've told you a thousand times before, you are no longer safe there. Stone-Eyed Sam is after the sword and I know that the sword is still in your posession.  
You've cursed the gold, mate, what's there left to do? Kill off the Aztecs? They'll worship your every move. They think you're a god.  
With the scabbard, the sword and the Aztecs, you'll be rendedered unstoppable._

_I'm writing to tell you I can no longer hold the scabbard for you. If I lose it, the kingdoms will scab over as the curse put by Calypso states.  
__And no, I don't owe my Neptune anything by protecting his kingdom, but I owe his daughter, my neice, quite alot._

Lila paused at that sentence. Her breath momentarily caught in her chest as she reread that sentence about ten times to try and put together that that was written. A maid or two had walked into the study and began cleaning up the wet spots that were no doubt due to the snow that had blown in the previous night. She smiled up at them, before turning back to the letter that was in her hands.

_Stone-Eyed Sam wants the sword, and I think he'll try and find the scabbard as well. Which is why I'm sending it back to you.  
My curse is setting in now that that heathen goddess has been bound. I think he resides in the Isla Esqueletica, wanting nothing more  
thatn to rule over the small kingdom. I think he's with my sister continuing to burn the small city. He won't be able to rule unles the Sword is his._

I have to bid you fairwell for the time being. I'll try my best to meet you at the Isla in the coming weeks, but don't count on it.  
I go where the Dutchman is called.

_Signed,  
Captain Davy Jones  
The Flying Dutchman_

Her uncle had been apart of this? He had no doubt been friends with Cortés,but hadn't Lila read somewhere where Cortés's power base in Mexico had deteriorated? Could Davy have possibly betrayed Cortés himself and took the Sword and scabbard for himself? That could possibly explain a few things. Though Lila had another feeling. Even though Davy had indeed been the heartless pirate that stabbed William all those years ago, and though she would never be able to forgive him for that, Lila had always known a different Davy.

And something inside of her was wanting the betrayl and even the stabbing of William to not be his fault, though she knew deep down that that was near to impossible.

She decided at that moment that she would just talk to Chantico herself. Chantico was the goddess of fire, and Lila was almost one hundred percent postitive, being the goddess of the seas, that she could contact Chantico, even if she had to have help from Calypso. Which also led to another thing Lila had to do. Talk to Calypso. She had apparently put the curse on the Sword of _Cortés_, she had to do something.

As the maids exited the study, Lila put down the letter, still in deep thought. She closed her emerald eyes momentarily, before opening them once more, and staring down at the parchment that had blown on the floor. She sighed, and unfolded it, staring down at it. It appeared to be yet another letter. She leaned back on the chair, and scanned over it. She leaned forward and stared at it more intently when she realized that this was one of the letters that had been in the dead man's chest before it was Will's.

It was from Davy to Calypso written just a day after Davy's letter to Cortés.

_Decemeber 21, 1712_

My dearest Calypso,  


_How can you say that you me me and only me when this is my fate. I'm heartless, I promised my heart to you and only you, and yet you  
leave me like this. I did nothing but wait for you, Calypso. I kept my promise and wanted to see you when my years were up, and it was finally  
our change to be together, but were you there? No._

_HOw I watched the horizon hoping that you were coming towards me. Do you not realize how much pain you have cuased me?  
I'm a cursed man now, Calypso. I'll never be free. You know the curse, the curse is yours. Ten years at sea, a day at land.  
Steep prise to be paid for what has been done, and here I thought it just depended on the one day._

Lila's heart pounded against her chest as she read this. Tears were filling her eyes, since it was killing her how she could almost picture Will saying this. She wiped her eyes, and attempte to blink away her tears so that she could finish reading the letter.

_You know how the curse works. I promised my heart to you, and even though you are now gone from me, I cannot promise it to another.  
I'm cursed in that way too, Calypso. I will always be bound to you no matter what I do. I'm always always yours.  
"As I sail away from you, pain sets in and sees me through, pain and storms will come soon for me. __But I shall never die."_

_Yours Forever.  
Captain Davy Jones  
The Flying Dutchman_

She slammed the letter down on her desk as tears rolled down her cheeks. She had always known how much pain she had cuased William, but hearing Davy speak in almost the same way that she would expect Will to be thinking, since he would never tell it to her, it killed her.

" 'Ow's my princess?" She heard a familar voice call out from behind the closed study doors. Had this been under any other circumstances, Lila would have smiled at that. But not now, she was too deep in thought to process anything other than what she had just read. What had it been that Davy had said? That since he promised his heart to Calypso, he could never promise it to another? Had Will not promised his own heart to Elizabeth? Was Will's heart really hers? Of course it was. Lila had his heart long before Elizabeth...right?

But maybe it was that fact that made Lila break down in the study and cry. Cry over the fact, that after all these years, everything she had done to William came crashing down on her.

Will smiled as he made his way down the stairs. After his talk with Calypso that morning, he came away assured that though he had promised his heart to Elizabeth, Calypso would surely know that Lila had his heart long before. Will didn't know the irony of the situation in knowing that Lila was crying over the same exact thing in the study just down the hall.

"Uncle Jackie!!" Annie squealed as she got up from the piano bench, since she was taking her lessons, willingly, unlike Lila who never wanted to take them. She ran over to him. Jack smiled, taking off his coat, and brushing the snow out of his dreadlocked hair, before picking Annie up and twirling her around.

Jack kissed her cheek and said, " 'Ow are you, darlin'?" Annie smiled up at him with a smile that scarily reminded him of her mother. She laughed and said, "Good!"

"Good." Jack said to her, winking at her. She put her head on his shoulder when Will made it to the last step. Saphira walked out from behind Jack, handing her coat to one of the servants. After she thanked him, she smiled at Will, and walked up and hugged him. Will put his arms around her and said, "How are you?"

In the last three months they hadn't seen each other, at lot had happened. Saphira smiled up at him and said, "I'm fine. Getting used to everything at Atlantis. It's weird." Will smiled as he leaned against the wall, completely knowing the feeling. Marrying a princess, now Queen, and turning from a blacksmith, to a pirate now to a prince. He looked at her for a moment, lost in the coversation he had had with Calypso that morning. Saphira recognized this look, as one he usually got when he was thinking about Lila. She leaned against the railing, and looked up at him as she asked, "Lila problems?"

"Not exactly." Will said, with a smile. "I just feel...guilty sometimes." His eyes drifted off to where Jack was with Annie. He had said something to her that made her burst into a fit of laughter. She was laughing so hard, her face was purple, and Will was surprised she could still breath. Saphira looked at him for a moment, before asking, "How so, darling?"

"I loved Elizabeth...but when I promised her my heart....it still belonged to Lila." Saphie smiled at that statement. Will had always loved Lila, but she understood where Will was coming from. That was exactly the reason that Lila didn't marry Jack. While she did love Jack, she always loved Will.

"Darling, Lila knows that you love her. Elizabeth knew..." Saphie trailed off at seeing Will's expression. He knew Lila knows he loves her, but as for Elizabeth? The last few years was questionable. And that was what was killing Will. He should have went after Lila. He should have never let her go. He should have...

....but didn't everything fall into place? He wouldn't have been immortal, where as Lila would have. He wouldn't be standing on this step right now, ruling beside the girl that he loves with a gorgeous daughter. Everything somehow fell into place for all of them.

But that still didn't make Will not live in regret and guilt sometimes. Those ghosts would always haunt him, as they always did Lila. Saphira smiled up at him, wrapping her arms around him again, and saying, "Will, all that matters now is that she loves you." Will smiled at her, and nodded, knowing that Lila did. But somehow that wasn't comforting him.

"Hey, mate." Jack said, with his usual slur and swagger as he came to stand beside them, with Annie still in his arms. "Mate, you look bloody awful." Jack smirked when Annie started laughing again. Will rolled his eyes, but smiled anyway.

Time had changed many things, but that was one thing that would never change. Because he knew, in three hundred years from now, Captain Jack  
Sparrow would still be the same.

Jack looked up at Will for a moment, then up to the large golden star that a few palace workers were hanging in the middle of the ball room. Looking back at Will, with a weird expression on his face, Jack asked, "Where's Lila?"

"Where_ is _Lila? I looked for her, but Neptune said he hadn't see her all morning." Saphie said, looking at Will.

"I know where she's at. I'll be right back." He nodded at Saphira and Jack, before exiting the room. He sighed and walked down the stairs, knowing exactly where Lila was. She had been taking this whole Queen thing a little too seriously. I mean, serious though the job was, Lila was too stressed out. And Will knew that that couldn't be good for her.

Once he got to the doors, Will knocked and asked, "Lila?" When no one  
answered, he put his hand on the knob and said, "Lila, darling? Li, it's me." He heard the door unlock. Will paused for a moment, before pushing the door open. When he saw her, his face fell.

"Darling, what on earth?" He walked over to her, and took her into his arms as she cried. He kissed the top of her head and said, "Li, what's wrong?" She shook her head, and kept crying. Will didn't know what to do. Lila never cried, or when she did, she tried to hide it. That was the thing about her, and would go for most of the Sparrow family, they never liked showing their emotions. But now, it seemed that Lila really didn't care.

"Li..." Will pulled back, and looked down into Lila's tear-stained face. He sighed as he took one of his hands, and wiped some away as they left small smudges of kohl behind. It seemed like Lila was having trouble meeting Will's gaze for some reason, and that bothered him. "Lila...look at me." She shook her head, picking a spot on the floor to look at instead. "Li, look at me!" He took his hands on her face, and gently pulled it up so that her piercing emerald eyes met Will's two mesmorizing dark pools. "Love, you can tell me."

"I did this to you."

"Li, love. What are you talking about?" But when she looked up at him, he instantly recognized that look. She didn't have to tell him what was wrong, he knew. He knew without even asking her.

"I did it to you." She put her hand to the key when she said that. Will's heart broke. His figurative heart, since the real thing was beating in the corner just a few feet away. His heart began pounding in the metal chest in the corner when Lila said that. Tears were flowing down her cheeks as Will closed his eyes and rested his head on hers.

"Lila, you didn't. Don't ever say that." Will whispered as he rested his head on her so that his breath was hot against her neck. "Lila, you didn't do this to me. It had to happen."

"-no, Will-"

"_Lila, listen to me_!" Will said in a rather loud voice, causing Lila to stop momentarily and stare up at him. Will never raised his voice with her which was why it took her completely off guard. When he realized what he had done, his features relaxed. He cupped the side of her face with one of his hands and said, "Darling, you didn't do this to me, alright? You didn't."

She nodded, not because she believed what he said, but because she simply didn't want to argue with him anymore. Will leaned down and kissed her, before pulling her back in his arms. She wasn't crying anymore, by the time she laid her head back on Will's chest, and melted into his embrace like she always did. She closed her emerald eyes, as a tear rolled down her cheek, wishing she could take back so many things.

As Will held on to Lila, his eyes fell down to the now tear-stained letter that was lying on the ground. It was dropped with tears, letting William know that that was the cause of his wife's crying. Keeping a strong arm around Lila, he reached beside her and grabbed the letter. One sentence in Davy's letter made him cringe.

_I promised my heart to you, and even though you are now gone from me... _

Will had promised it to Elizabeth. He had given his heart to her, lying and saying to her that it had always belonged to her when in truth, it laid with the goddess that had broken his heart by leaving him, for what he thought would be forever. And now, he held her crying in his arms, as she wanted so desperatley to take everything back. She was broken now just as he was the day she left.

_I cannot promise it to another. _

What if his heart was always stuck with Elizabeth? Always bound to her? Could Lila never truly be the holder of Will's heart even though she had captured it over a century ago?

_How I watched the horizon, hoping that I'd see you coming towards me.  
Do you not realize how much pain you have caused me. I'm a cursed man now...._


	5. Where His Heart Lies

**Chapter Five  
_Where His Heart Lies_**

**- The Queen's Palace, Neptuño -  
**

"Yo, ho. Yo, ho. A pirate's life for me." She was humming to herself as she sat on the edge of the snowy balcony. Her golden brown curls were blowing gently in the wind as she focused her emerald eyes on the horizon.

She groaned as she unbuttoned the top button of her coat, despite her _abuela_ telling her otherwise when she saw her skipping out of the palace. The Island of _Neptuño_ was still buzzing that morning with the residents trying to get their last preparations in before the following day, which happened the be Christmas Day. She smiled to herself at thinking of this, and glanced out at her father's ship that was pulled into the port next to her mother's. She always had a question, though she never wanted to ask her parents because of the reaction of hurt she always saw on her mother's face when she asked.

"Annie, love? Mummy wants to know if you're going with her or not." The door shut gently behind the Prince of the Sea as he pulled his coat closer together and made his way carefully over to the railing where Annie was sitting. She beamed up at Will, before turning back to the horizon. "Darling, what are you doing out here?" Will asked her as he came to stand behind her, wrapping his arm around her to keep her from falling backwards.

"Thinking."

"Oh, are we now? And what would we be thinking about, love?" Will asked her, questioning. He knew from the previous years, and growing up with Lila, all of Annie's tricks. That's because Annie learned from the best. Lila. But there was someone that could outsmart her. Really only one person. Even the great Captain Jack Sparrow couldn't outsmart Lila. But Will could. And Will knew when he saw that gleam in Annie's eyes that she was deep in thought about something. As deep as a three year old could think anyway.

"Daddy, are you and Mummy pirates?" That had been the question that Will and Lila were most dreading. They had chosen to tell Annie the truth only when she was older. When she could fully understand their pasts. Because, being a Sparrow and Turner, Will and Lila both knew that Annie would have to confront their pasts as well as her own problems when she reached of age. But, they had hoped that question would never be asked. But now, it was.

"What gave you that idea, darling?" Will asked her, buttoning his own coat up. Yes, immortal though he was, Will could still experience harsh changes. As he was now, silently cursing his wife for making it snow in the Caribbean's. Annie just shrugged as she said, "Well, Uncle Jackie is 'cause he's gotted the Pearl. And he's got that tattoo on his arm...and Mummy has the same one too. And you both have ships, so I just thought that you were pirates." William stared at his daughter in awe at that statement. She had apparently been thinking alot on the this subject, though like Lila growing up, pirates was always Annie's favorite subject to talk of. Will often found himself recurring his past experiences to her at bedtime for her night bedtime story. He turned his hazel eyes to meet her emeralds as he said, "Of course not."

"I think you are." Annie said, swinging her legs back and forth. Will smiled over at her. She was gorgeous. Though she looked almost identical to what Lila looked like when she was Annie's age, Will did see alot of himself in her. Though, she was almost a recreation of his wife. He smiled, kissing her cheek and saying, "If you're going with Mummy, you had better hurry, darling." Annie nodded, turning around and swinging her legs off of the railing, before bouncing off of it. She hugged Will's legs, before turning on her heels and skipping into the palace. Will smiled to himself, before turning back to the snowy horizon. He closed his hazel eyes, and for some reason, a feeling he hadn't felt in years washed over him.

"William." He had fallen into such a deep train of thought, that her quiet voice made him jump. He whirled around to see Calypso standing behind him. She had changed since becoming Calypso fully, no longer Tia Dalma. Her face was free of markings as she now emitted that beauty that only goddesses possessed. She was wearing a floor length, white gown that seemed to emit a light as she walked towards him. Her black curls cascaded neatly, framing her face perfectly. And another thing that was different, she no longer had that horrid accent of hers. "We need to talk."

He sighed, turning his eyes back to the horizon. "The curse?"

"Aye." She whispered, coming to stand beside him. The two were quiet for a moment, before she followed his gaze to the horizon, and said, "The curse was only to be lifted if your true love remained faithful-"

"-Lila did-"

"-you didn't promise your heart to Lila, William. Your promised it to Elizabeth." Will closed his eyes, as a sense of dread and guilt washed over him. How could he have rightfully promised his heart to Elizabeth, when Lila had stolen his heart years and years before even meeting Elizabeth? That hadn't been fair. To neither Lila nor Elizabeth. While he loved both girls dearly, only one was the true keeper of his heart. "The curse isn't broken."

__________

_"Why the hell would I be mad at you, Lila?" Will's voice came out harsh and rough. Lila just stared up at him, almost with a look of fear in her eyes. He couldn't bear to look at her as I said, "What? Did you expect me to wait for you until you came back?"_

Lila's face changed from fear to anger as she spat, "Excuse me? You're the bloody reason I left, Will." When Will stared up at her in shock, he noticed tears were flowing freely down her cheeks as she said in a surprisingly calm voice, "I thought you loved Elizabeth. I thought I was in your way." So he had been right. He was the reason she left.

"I wasn't." Will said, softening his tone. "I only was with her because I thought you weren't coming back." Will watched as the crabs continued to move them down the ocean. "I loved her, Lila." He couldn't mistake the look of hurt in her eyes when he said that. He was telling her the truth, "But I didn't while I was with you."

"How can I believe you?" Will looked up at her when she asked him that.. He reached behind his neck and unhooked his key as he said, "Part of it will always belong to her. I want you to know that." He moved closer to her and whispered, "But she's gone. And I have to realize that. You're-" For the first real time, Lila looked up into Will's eyes as he said, "-you're here. And it belongs to you."

____________

"Calypso, is there anything that can be done?" William asked, voicing what he had asked all those years ago when Jack had been killed in the hands of his then fiancee. Calypso turned her black eyes to meet Will's as she said in a quiet, dread-filled voice, "Ten years at sea, for a day at land. Steep price to be paid for what has been done. William, I cannot change the rules. It had only been brought to my attention-"

"-Calypso, I can't leave her." Will said, as his eyes stung with unshed tears. He couldn't leave her, as he remembered the pain he felt when he left Elizabeth. But more so, the pain that he felt when Lila left him when he was only 20 back that awful day in Port Royal. Neither of them had known that that would be the day that would put their destinies in line forever. And now, Calypso was telling them after all those years of wishing he could be with Lila, and after all those years of being regretful and filled with pain, he had to give that all up again.

"-I cannot do a thing, William. I'm sorry." They fell silent once more, before she whispered to him, "One month marks the 100th year mark since you became captain. That's when you'll set sail." William nodded, feeling as if Davy Jones had pierced him with a sword once again. Actually, the way he was feeling at that moment, he would have much rather felt the pain that he had felt when he was murdered on the Flying Dutchman than feeling the pain he was feeling when Calypso told him he had to leave his wife and daughter for ten years. Calyspo nodded, not knowing what to say, and disappeared into a ray of light. Will fell silent, and focused his eyes back on the Dutchman, a ship he would always be bound to, a ship that right now, was his hell.

"_Querido_, we're leaving for town. We should be back in a few hours."  
Will had to hold back his tears when he heard her soft voice come from behind him. She must have noted that something wasn't right with him, since Lila paused at the door, resting her hand against the frame, and stared at her husband for a moment, before asking him, "Will, are you alright?" Will only nodded at her, not sure if he could make eye contact with her at the given moment. Lila let the door fall gently behind her, as she walked over to Will and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Will, something's wrong?"

"How can you love me after what I did to you?" Lila was taken back by his question, and only stared at Will for a long time. She had never seen him look like this. His eyes were clouded over with an emotion, and his face was expressionless. Lila dropped her hand, unsure of what she could stay in response to that. "After what I put you through?"

"Will, I don't what your talking-"

"-yes, you bloody do Lila! _How can you love me_?" He whirled around to face her to see that she had a confused look on her face. Actually, her expression was that of a mixed confused and hurt face as she stared at him. When she saw that his eyes were sparkling with tears, she immediately dropped her own gaze from his and stared down at the snow covered balcony. The two of them were silent for what seemed to be years as they stood there. They could hear the faint voices of Rupert, Jack and Saphira inside, though that was all that could be heard next to the silence that Will and Lila were in and the ocean waves crashing against the side of the palace.

"What kind of question is that, Will? You can't ask me why I love you. I just do. I always have." Lila whispered to him, in a tone that he had never heard before. He couldn't place the emotion, but he knew that she was hurt. Why should she be hurt? Wasn't this partly her fault as well as it was his? "Will, if this about me leaving-"

"-I should have came after you-"

"-why are you bringing this up?" She practically shouted at him. "I thought we moved on from all of this, Will. I mean, _bloody hell_. We're married, we have a daughter...everything's finally okay and you start bringing this up? Darling, you may have had your heart literally ripped out, but that doesn't mean I haven't hurt over all of this too." Will turned to look at Lila once more as tears fell frozen at her rosy, tanned cheeks. Her voice was shaking as she said, "Do you know how badly it hurt me knowing that someone else had your heart?"

"She _never_ did, Lila."

"Well...I didn't know that." She said, her voice filled with hurt, as she came to stand beside him. "Will, I love you. I don't care if you're Captain of the Flying Dutchman. I don't care if your heartless. I don't care about Elizabeth. I don't care about our pasts." She took his hand, as he fought to keep his gaze locked with her own intense emerald eyed one as she said to him in a softer voice, "I care about you. That's all that matters now, Will. Nothing else does." He leaned down and kissed her briefly, before resting his head on top of hers.

Lila, unsure as to why Will was acting this way, only wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his strong chest. She closed her emerald eyes momentarily, as the two stood silently on the balcony as the snow fell gently all around them. After a moment, neither of them spoke still. They didn't need to, because they both knew what the other one was thinking. It was unspoken. They didn't have to tell the other one, because they already knew.

But Lila would never know all the guilt Will was feeling at that moment. She didn't know the pain he was feeling for wrongfully giving his heart to someone, when it truthfully belonged to another. The pain he felt for not waiting for Lila. The pain he felt knowing that he only had a month left before he had to leave Lila and Anne for a decade at sea. And that, Lila still didn't know, for Will just had no idea how to break the news to her. He knew how she would take it, and thought it best to wait until after the holidays..

__________

_"...Will, you know this. You've always been between me and Elizabeth. And you can't deny that." Her words pierced his "heart" at every word that she spoke. "It's always been that way. You could never decide between us. And somehow, I feel like I was just a...a backup. Wouldn't you feel that way?"_

He let go of her completely so he could look into her eyes. When he didn't say anything, she continued, "Elizabeth's dead, so now you go to the second girl on your list. Do honestly want to be like Jack-" "You were never a damn backup, Lila." Will spat at her, anger filling him up. "I never once-"

"But that's how I felt, Will!" She said, "That's how I felt. I saw the way you looked at her...it killed me. That's why I left-" Will fell silent, though anger was still filling inside him. He wasn't sure if it was towards her, or towards himself.

"Well, Lila. I didn't think it fair that you expected me to wait for you." Will said after another minute of silence. Lila shook her head, allowing more tears to fall as she said, "Damn, Will. Can't you see? Do you not understand why I left? I left because I didn't want you to wait for me. I left so you'd be with Elizabeth."

She took a step towards him, "This was never about me." She turned around from him to start back down the path, leaving him in his painful thoughts. She stopped momentarily, though not turning back as she said,  
"It wasn't your burden to bear-" Now she faced him, "-but after all those years of crying for you, I think it's time for you to bear it as well." 

__________

William never fully understood the reasoning behind Lila's leaving. He never understood what went through her head that day she left. But after all those years of wondering 'what if', Will was finally coming to terms with everything that had been resting there under his nose, going unnoticed for all those years. Because now, after all those years of not understanding, Will was finally bearing the same burden Lila was bearing.

And there wasn't a thing he could do about it.


	6. NOTE

Hi, guys. It's me. After 1 million years, I've decided I wanted to write again and possibly revamp my older stories. I'm currently working on a revamp to my Pirates stories. I want to upload it. I made a new account. My penname is **MissParrish**. I was going to upload it to this account but I just have way too many stories going on here unfinished and otherwise. Some I'm not proud of (obviously, because some of them were written six years ago...I feel old.) I started writing them my freshman year of high school and now I'm halfway done with college, so I think it's safe to say my writing has improved. But yeah. This is going to be my summer project:) I just wanted to let my previous readers know and anyone who has me on alerts, to just check out my new account. My first revamping edit is going to be my Pirates series. I'm redoing the entire series of stories (starting with I Love These Moment through It'll Always Belong to You). Then, hopefully, I'll be able to _finally_ finish This Summer after a 5 year hiatus.

So yeah, if you have me on alerts, be sure in 2 days (when I can start posting on my new account) to check it out because that's where I'll be posting all of my new stories. I'll probably be deleting my stories off of here soon and just letting this one be ineffective.


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